5 Preparation
5-3-1 Kaivalya 1 to 4
Sage Asvalanya is a qualified student and he approaches Brahmaji, a qualified teacher, to teach him Brahma-vidyA which is beyond mAyA. It is pursued by noble persons as it destroys all the evils. The Upanishadic message is that both the student and the teacher should be qualified. A student should have four-fold qualifications by practicing karma yoga and upasana yoga. The teacher should have not only knowledge of Brahman, he should be established in Brahman and should possess communication skills. Established in Brahman means his life should conform to Brahm-vidyA. Communication skills are important because Brahman is not an object of knowledge in any conventional sense and is non-communicable and it requires special skills to teach. He should belong to a lineage of teachers and teach what he has learned from his teacher. He is prohibited from imparting a new teaching.
Generally, the Guru first tests the student to see if he is qualified. Here the teacher has inferred from the student’s manners that he is qualified and is ready to receive knowledge. Brahmaji emphasizes the role of renunciation as a supporting discipline to the primary disciplines – sravana, manan, and nidhidhyasana. Then the mind is ready to receive Brahm-vidya.
The first stage on the spiritual path is making the mind pure by practicing karma yoga and focussed by practicing upasana yoga. By karma yoga, the seeker, as a doer, dilutes likes and dislikes by offering actions to God; and as an experiencer by accepting the results as gifts from God. By practicing meditation on a sacred object, the mind becomes focused. Once a seeker is through these sAdhanAs in a sufficient measure, grasping Brahm-vidya imparted by the teacher is relatively easy.
5-3-2 Kaivalya 5 to 7
In this Upanishad, the teaching begins with the topic of meditation in mantras 5,6, and 7. Meditation is of two types One is preparation before taking up Vedanta teaching. The second one is nidhidhyAsana which is meditation on Vedantic teaching gained after sravana and manan. During the waking state, the mind pervades the body while interacting with the external world. In deep sleep, the mind resolves into the heart which is the locus of the mind. Even though Isvara is all-pervading, at the time of meditation He is invoked in the mind as consciousness witnessing the presence and absence of thoughts. By meditating on the supreme Lord who is the consort of Uma and who has three eyes and a blue neck, the meditator attains oneness with Brahman the source of all beings, the witness of all, and beyond mAyA.
In Sri Rudram, there are three descriptions of Siva: Eka-rupa, Aneka-rupa and Arupa Isvara. In Kaivalya Upanishad also, He is described as Eka, Aneka, and Arupa.
Achintya – Lord Siva is not an object of recognition by the sense organs and the mind. It is formless Isvara. Avyakta –He is not available to the sense organs– Asabda, Asparsa, Arupam, Arasam, and Agandham.
Ananta-rupa – The objective is to expand the mind. This describes Lord Siva as Visvarupa Isvara. The word Siva means the auspicious one and therefore, the descriptions refer to all three forms.
In the Vedantic language, UmA means Brahma-vidyA and UmAsahaya means Brahma- vidyA acharya.
5-3-3 Kaivalya 24 and 25
The teacher gives a solution for those who are unable to pursue knowledge because they do not find it logical or practical. He recommends Sri Rudra recitation to purify the mind and prepare it for jnAna yoga. Mere recitation purifies. Recitation with meaning expedites spiritual progress. He is freed from evils that may take place by wrongly performing ritualistic fire. The scriptures prohibit even smelling liquor. Consuming liquor, meat, etc, incurs sin and obstructs spiritual growth. Sri Rudra recitation is a known tool of repentance. It frees one from invisible sins due to the omission of obligatory duties and commission of prohibited actions. A person who does Sri Rudra recitation is protected by Lord Siva. For a sanyasi who cannot perform five great sacrifices, Rudra-recitation is an ideal spiritual discipline for mental purification. One should chant Rudram at least once a day to purify the mind.
By daily Rudra recitation the Vedantic teaching that has looked impractical begins to appeal to the intellect. The path of knowledge appears logical, practical, and possible. The person is now a seeker of knowledge, the knowledge which destroys samsAra. Eventually, he gets Self-knowledge and is liberated. According to Swami Parmarthananda, it need not be Rudra recitation. It can be Vishnu Sahasra Nama or Lalita Sahasra Nama. The pure mind pursues jnAna and eventually gains it.
5-4 Katha Upanishad
5-4-1 Katha 1.1.1 to 1.1.29 Introduction
Lord Yama is a jnAni and has skills to teach Self to a qualified student. He wants to test if Nachiketa is qualified and possesses four-fold qualifications. He discourages Nachiketa from gaining knowledge. Even the gods are not clear about this knowledge, it is rare and secret. Therefore, Yama tells him to ask any different boon. However, Nachiketa is adamant and argues that as this knowledge is rare, he does not want to waste the opportunity to get it from Yama, a celestial Guru and as the ruler of death, he knows what is destroyed and what is not. Nachiketa asserts that he can never get another Guru like Yama. He concludes that there is no other boon equal to this. Yama is convinced that Nachiketa has an intense desire for Self-knowledge.
He now wants to test whether Nachiketa has dispassion. He offers various worldly gifts, like, gold, cattle, kingdom, many children, long life to enjoy worldly pleasures. He encourages Nachiketa to ask anything equivalent to what he has already offered and add more in the form of celestial pleasures. In short, Yama asks Nachiketa to choose between sense pleasures and Self-knowledge. Self-knowledge is abstract to most people and difficult to opt for, but not for Nachiketa. As sense pleasures are ephemeral, he declines them. He has thus passed the test of dispassion too. True renunciation is borne out of discrimination; then only it will stand the test of time. Nachiketa rejects them because he shows maturity and understands the limitations of sense-pleasure. If one’s happiness depends on the unpredictable, it will only cause anxiety and not happiness. The time principle puts an end to everything. Even in Brahm-loka one may have a longer life, but not permanence. Nachiketa rejects all worldly pleasures out of discrimination which is a testimony that he has the third qualification, namely, viveka.
There is no cause-effect relationship between wealth and happiness. Happiness does not depend upon what I have, but on what I am. Even though money cannot buy happiness, Nachiketa recognizes that money is required to conduct life. Money can give food, clothing, etc. Health and wealth are required in life but cannot free him from associated afflictions. He says intelligently that he needs money, but he does not want to waste his boon on it. He gives the reasons for his choice of Self-knowledge. It is not ordinary; it is a hidden wisdom, not easily accessible. Lord Yama has himself pointed out that even the gods are not sure about that. Everyone is confused about Self-knowledge. He has also displayed the quality of remaining focused by listening to Yama and recounting the Agni ritual perfectly. He has waited for Lord Yama without food for three days showing endurance in adverse circumstances. Just as a student is happy to get a competent teacher, the latter is also happy to get a qualified student. Yama and Nachiketa are the perfect examples.
5-4-2 Katha 1.2.1 to 1.2.6
Yama begins his instructions. Two different paths are presented to a person in his life. One is pleasant and another is good. Their ends are different though both bind a person. A wise person examines both and chooses the good path because though it binds him, it helps him reach the true end, i.e., freedom. Contrarily, those who choose the pleasant path miss the true goal. Although Yama has tried to lure Nachiketa with many temptations to test his sincerity and earnestness, he, judging them at their real value, declines them all, saying “I have come from the mortal realm, shall I ask for what is mortal? I desire only that which is eternal. Yama observes that Nachiketa has chosen the good path out of wisdom as he has rejected all the allurements in the pleasant path.
Unlike a wise person, fools relish ignorance because they imagine themselves to be wise and learned. For them, chances of escaping worldly bondage are thin and they are caught in the unending circle of birth and death. They go from death to death and ever remain under the sway of Yama. Worldly life is all that matters to them. They consider themselves as wise and capable of guiding others like a blind man leading another blind man. As children are tempted by toys, so are they tempted by pleasure, power, name, and fame because they consider them permanent.
5-4-3 Katha 1.2.7 to 1.2.11
A person has two parts: one is eternal and undying and another is dying. The dying part comes under Yama’s domain. When a person identifies himself with the undying part, he overcomes death. This knowledge is secret because many have not heard about it and even if a few have heard, they are not able to comprehend it. Therefore, both the teacher who imparts this knowledge and the student who grasps it are wonderful. A teacher must be qualified. He should have this knowledge and should be established in it which means that his life should conform to the knowledge. It should be a living knowledge. The teacher should possess communication skills. It is difficult to find such a teacher.
When a qualified teacher is emphasized, it also means that he imparts teaching as per the scriptures. Emphasis on scriptures is included. If scripture is separately emphasized, there is a danger that a person may resort to self-study and run the risk of misunderstanding the scriptures which may bring more harm than good. A teacher communicates through the scriptures as taught to him by his teacher. An unqualified teacher cannot impart the knowledge even if he tries again and again. A qualified teacher is an integral part of teaching. A student cannot gain knowledge on his own. He should also be qualified to receive and grasp the knowledge imparted by the teacher. The heart of the disciple should be open and ready for the Truth. He should have shraddhA in the teacher and the scriptures. Hence Yama says that both the teacher and the student are wonderful.
The knowledge of the Self is subtle and cannot be attained by argument or logic alone. Yama praises Nachiketa for his qualifications. Perishable things like rituals cannot lead to Self-knowledge. Although Nachiketa fire sacrifice may bring seemingly eternal results to mortals because of their long duration, it cannot lead to Self-knowledge. Nachiketa has rejected all perishable things and is a worthy student. Yama wishes students like Nachiketa in future.
5-4-4 Katha 1.2.15 to 1.2.17
Vedas glorify OM. Brahman is beyond language and difficult for mortals to think or speak of It without calling it by a definite name. The sages have given It the name OM. Omkara can be the symbol for saguna (inferior) Brahman as well as nirguna (supreme) Brahman. OM is the best medium. For meditation, saguna Brahman can be a personal deity or Hiranyagarbha, the cosmic subtle body or Virat, the cosmic gross body. In meditation, saguna Brahman is imagined on OM. If a person practices meditation throughout life, he goes to Brahm-loka after death where he has the choice of gaining knowledge under the tutorship of Brahmaji and to get liberation. It is krama-mukti. He can get liberation in the current life also. By meditating on saguna Brahman, he gets the necessary qualifications to pursue knowledge and on gaining Self-knowledge becomes free. To get knowledge, he inquires OM.
OM has three syllables (mAtrAs): A, U, and M. They are at the root of all languages. The first letter “A” is the mother-sound, being the natural sound uttered by every creature when the throat is opened, and no sound can be made without opening the throat. The last letter “M,” spoken by closing the lips, terminates all sounds. As one carries the sound from the throat to the lips, it passes through the sound “U.” The three sounds cover the field of possible articulate sound. Silence is amAtra which is in and through the three mAtrAs or sounds. It is the supreme Brahman. Mandukya Upanishad teaches OM inquiry in detail.
5-4-5 Katha 1.3.5 to 1.3.9
A person who is without discrimination and has an undisciplined mind, his sense organs are uncontrollable like the unruly horses of the charioteer. One should ask oneself if his vehicle, the BMS, is steady and fit. A fit vehicle is the best friend on a spiritual journey. Contrarily, an unfit vehicle most likely fails to reach the goal. Verse 6.6 of the Bhagavad Gita has a similar message. A trained mind is an asset. If the intellect is not well developed and the mind is undisciplined, the sense organs will be unruly. Such a person is not in charge of his life. A person must watch his thoughts because they control his destiny. He who does not possess discrimination, whose mind is uncontrolled and impure, does not attain the goal and falls again into the realm of birth and death. On the other hand, a discriminative person controls sense organs from running after visible momentary pleasures. They obey and serve him as good horses obey their driver. His intellect is clear about the secondary and primary goals.
The scriptures help one to set and accomplish the intermediate goals while not losing sight of the primary goal. He reaches the goal and he is not born again, he attains liberation, the highest place of Vishnu, the all-pervading and unchangeable one. A driver must possess first a thorough knowledge of the road; he must understand how to handle the reins and control his horses. He drives safely to his destination. Similarly in the journey of life, the mind and senses must be under the control of higher discriminative faculty. Then only, one can reach the spiritual destination, i.e., the Absolute.
5-4-6 Katha 1.3.14 The wise declare that the path of Self-knowledge is difficult to tread like the sharp edge of a razor. One should wake up from the slumber of ignorance. He ought to learn from the experiences of life and know the limitations of a materialistic life. The first stage in a spiritual journey is to recognize the problem just as a doctor diagnoses the disease before giving treatment. Karma yoga helps us determine what exactly we need. It will purify and sensitize the mind leading us to analyse whether the problem is with the world or within us. Without this, we tend to find fault with everything else in the world except ourselves. Not knowing our true nature is the main problem. Therefore, the Upanishad says: wake up to your problem through karma yoga, like a dreamer suffering in a dream solves the problem by getting up and knowing his waking real nature. Knowledge never happens by itself; it requires effort. One must go to a Guru and seek knowledge. In Vedic tradition, even the greatest emperor has gone to a teacher for knowledge. Arjuna has surrendered to Krishna in verse 2.7 for guidance.
Contd Part 9
Dear Bimal,
Thank you for another excellent post – but it is too long! There is so much useful information in here that it should be given out in smaller portions. This is like trying to eat half-a-dozen cream doughnuts all at once! It does not matter if the series spreads out over a lot longer period. I think it would be more appreciated and stand more chance of being assimilated.
Incidentally, does Shankara speak of “the mind resolves into the heart which is the locus of the mind” in Kaivalya 5 – 7 bhAShya? I don’t think it says this in the UpaniShad itself does it? This is an ancient misunderstanding, propagated by Ramana et al, which causes unecessary confusion in the modern scientific age.
Best wishes,
Dennis
Dear Dennis,
Your observation that the post is long is noted.
Regarding locus of mind, the following extracts are presented.
3.9.20
‘On what do these colours rest?’ ‘On the heart,’ said Yajnavalkya. Colours are made by the heart; it is the heart that is transformed into them, ‘for everybody knows colours through the heart.’ ‘Heart’ here refers to the intellect and Manas taken together (i.e. mind). Therefore ‘it is on the heart that colours rest.’ The idea is that since one remembers colours, lying as impressions, through the heart, therefore colours rest on the heart. ‘It is just so, Yajnavalkya.’ [Brihadarnyaka Upanishad with Shankaracharya Commentary Translated by Swami Madhavananda Advaita Ashrama]
4.3.22
“Of his heart: The heart is the lotus-shaped lump of flesh, but being the seat of the internal organ, intellect, it refers to that by a metonymy, as when we speak of cries from the chairs (meaning persons oc(:upying them). The woes of his heart, or intellect-for. they abide there, since it has been said, ‘Desire,
resolve, (etc. are but the mind)’ (I. v. 3). It will also be said later on, ‘The desires that dwell in his heart’ (IV. iv. 7).” [Brihadarnyaka Upanishad with Shankaracharya Commentary Translated by Swami Madhavananda Advaita Ashrama]
3.9.20
“So, in a sense we can say that the objects which are perceived by the eye are the abode or the support or the foundation of the eye. Where are these forms founded? They are founded in the heart, ultimately.”
“And so, the forms that are seen outside as if they are solid objects independently existing are projections of the desire of the mind. It depends upon what desires you have got. Accordingly, you will see forms outside. So, the forms that are visualised by the eye are rooted in the heart’s impression, ultimately, because it is in the heart that you perceive; it is due to the feeling that you cognise the forms outside. If you have no feeling for things, you will not perceive anything. “Well; that is very good. This is a good answer to my question,” says Śākalya, and goes on further. [ Brihadaranyaka Upanishad by Swami Krishnananda The Divine Life Society]
“Q.61 What is the mind?
I have heard many descriptions of what it does and of its qualities etc. but I have never had a satisfactory definition of what it is. A: The mind is a term of convenience rather than an actual entity, applying to processes rather than objects. We say that thoughts arise in the mind and think that this is somewhere in the brain, just as some say that emotions arise in the heart. (It was once thought that the mind was co-located with the physical heart rather than the brain, which accounts for the references to our ‘soul’ being in the ‘cave of the heart’ and so on. Nowadays, it is probably more common for us to think that the mind is responsible for both.) [Note that Shankara explicitly notes this in his commentary on the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: 3.9.20 – “Heart refers to the intellect and manas (mind) taken together” and 4.3.22 – “The heart is the lotus-shaped lump of flesh, but being the seat of the internal organ, intellect, it refers to that by a metonymy …”.] So the mind is really just the notional ‘place’ where we are conscious of thoughts, emotions, perceptions etc. and where we make decisions based upon these.” Waite, Dennis. Answers… to the Difficult Questions: For Spiritual Seekers Kindle Edition.
Best wishes,
Bimal
Couldn’t have put it better myself! 😉